    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [October 13, 2004]
    [Pages 2503-2504]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Presidential Debate Watch Party in Phoenix, Arizona
    October 13, 2004

        The President. Thank you all.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Thank you all very much. I've been to a lot of
    ballparks in my day, but I've never been to a ballpark filled with so
    many people who are going to go out and work the vote and make sure we
    can win in November.
        I am so honored you came out tonight. I cannot thank you enough for
    greeting me and Laura and Barbara and Jenna. It warms our heart and
    lifts our spirit to be here with so many great American citizens. Thanks
    for coming. You know, when I got here, Laura said, ``Stand up straight.
    Don't scowl, and keep your speech short.'' [Laughter]
        I meant what I said about Laura. I love her
    dearly. She's a great First Lady. Tonight I tried to give the people a
    reason to put me back in for 4 more years, but perhaps the most
    important reason of all is so that Laura is the First Lady for 4 more
    years. I'm proud to be here with Barbara and
    Jenna. I told them, I said, ``Get you some sleep
    tonight, and get back out on the campaign trail.'' [Laughter]
        But thank you all for coming. I love my family. I love my country. I
    love working with John McCain. I'm so proud to
    be standing with him here today. He is--he and I are going to go to
    Nevada tomorrow. We're going to Las Vegas. We're going to Reno. We're
    going to Oregon. We're going to travel this country with a message
    that's hopeful and optimistic, and we're going to win.
        I want to thank Cindy McCain as well for
    being here. I want to thank my friend Senator Jon Kyl and Caryll Kyl for being here as
    well. I want to thank the Members of Congress who are here.
        I want to thank my friend Aaron Tippin for
    providing some--[applause]--yes. I want to thank the Arizona
    Diamondbacks for opening up this fantastic facility for us here today. I
    want to thank the players who are here.

        I want to thank the grassroots activists, the people who are going
    to put up the signs and make the phone calls and turn out the people to
    vote.

        I know you know this, but you can now cast your ballot for Dick
    Cheney and me. Make sure you do so, and get your
    friends and neighbors to do so. We need your help. We need your vote.
    We're going to win in November.

        I enjoyed the debate tonight. It gave me a chance to tell the
    American people where I want to lead for the next 4 years. We'll
    continue to create jobs. We'll continue to make sure our schools work.
    We'll work on health care. We'll make sure that America is safe and
    secure by staying on the offensive. We'll defeat the terrorists overseas
    so we do not face them here at home.

        And finally, we will never forget the values of this country, our
    faith, our families. We will make sure that we continue to hold true to
    our beliefs that liberty can transform the world. We long for peace. We
    will spread the peace by spreading freedom.

        I'm honored that you're here. Thank you for coming. May God bless
    you, and may God bless America.

    [[Page 2504]]

    Note: The President spoke at 8:12 p.m. at the Bank One Ballpark. In his
    remarks, he referred to Cindy McCain, wife of Senator John McCain;
    Caryll Kyl, wife of Senator Jon L. Kyl; and entertainer Aaron Tippin.